Business cards will always be a necessity when it comes to promoting your business. If you do not have a card to hand out to prospective clients you are missing out on a key marketing opportunity. Successful business cards can be challenging to make. Often businesses design and print them from online printers. Though it may be cheaper, the quality is not the same. These types of printers often use low quality paper, and generic designs that will not make your business stand out. Here at Copycat Prints we work to ensure you that your business cards will be high quality and unique to your business. Here are 9 tips to keep in mind when it comes to designing a new business card.
Remember Basic Design Principles
Obviously, like other printed pieces, there are some things you need to keep in mind.
- Make sure there is a bleed around the card, and the information does not go to the edge of the paper.
- Work at 300dpi for best image reproduction
- Make sure your type is a readable size, and constant throughout.
- Design in CMYK unless you are working exclusively with spot colors.
It also helps to use some sort of grid layout on your card, this can help you organize your information and make sure the hierarchy and spacing works well.
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Be Creative Within Constraints
The “standard” size for business cards is 3.5x2 inches. This may vary based on where you are located. Although they are rather small in size, you can still be very creative with the space. You need to decide on what information is necessary on your card. This usually is your company name, your name, phone number, email address, address and then social media handles can also be added if that is what you prefer. Once you have your information planned out, you now know how much room is left and you are able to work your design around your information.
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Avoid Common Mistakes
Make sure you are being careful when it comes to borders. Borders can make or break your business card. You want to make sure you have a 3-5 mm bleed. You also want to stray away from a straightforward border around the car. This can easily show misalignments in the trim if the card is not perfectly cut out.
Use a Special Finish on Your Business Card
An easy way to make your business card memorable is to use a special finish. This includes foil blocking, spot- UV and metallic inks. Although more expensive, they make your card more visually appealing and easily remembered.
Shape of the Business Card
Another way to make your business card unique is to change the shape. Usually business cards are rectangles. You could simply round the corners, or cut out shapes in the middle of your card to differentiate it from the norm. Another way to change the shape of your card is to base it off of a product your company sells. Any business card that is not a simple rectangle tends to stand out better.
Choose the Right Material for Your Business Card
Majority of the time business cards are printed on card stock. You easily could print on all sorts of different materials including transparent plastic, metals and wood. By making it a different material people are more likely to take a closer look when first feeling it.
Make Your Business Card Useful
Paper is everywhere, people often lose or throw away loose scraps they have in their wallets and pockets. To avoid your business card being thrown in the recycle, make your business card work as more than simply a card. Some examples include making your business card into a hair clip holder, or making it turn into a holder for your phone.
Make a Unique Business Card
If you are feeling creative you can use websites like Canva to design your own business card. Canva is very user friendly, and gives you template options while also letting you create your own design if you would like.
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Double-Check Your Artwork
Before sending it off to the printer, make sure to proofread your work. You also should have other people read through to make sure you didn’t miss any mistakes. There is nothing worse than sending something off to the printer and getting it back with a typo printed on all of them.